Michal Ardar Levin – grandmother, insurance agent and model at age 60

Winter 2024

Michal and Daniela Lehavi's story begins a long time ago. Today, she is already a model for the brand and part of the family. We sat down to chat and hear a little about who Michal is, how her romance with the brand began, and what her classic outfit is for the upcoming winter.

מיכל ארדר לוין – סבתא, סוכנת ביטוח ודוגמנית בגיל 60

Michal grew up in Givatayim and still lives there today. She has three wonderful and talented children, each in their own way. She is a career woman in every sense of the word. She has owned an insurance agency for over 25 years. But according to her, her life began anew 5 years ago, when she became a grandmother (young one, it must be said) to a sweet granddaughter named Maya. "Being a grandmother is real life. That's where life begins." Maya was joined by Ido, the second grandchild in the family, and since then, every Monday has been Michal's day with the grandchildren, in anticipation that another grandchild will join soon. "I have one day a week with them that I take them out of kindergarten and do whatever they want with them. With Grandma, everything is allowed. From week to week I wait for this day."

New Bags Collection

Michal's romance with the brand began many years ago, and she has been in love ever since.
"I bought my first bag many, many years ago, in a store in Basel, which I think was the first store. A very good friend of mine was a soulmate of Daniela's, and she introduced me to the store and that's where I fell in love, really fell in love. It was a big black bag, which I used for work. At the time, we didn't work with laptops and iPads, we carried documents, so it was a big bag, I carried it proudly, that's how my relationship with the brand began. With women, we can love a product and buy it, but as soon as we receive feedback, and people respond positively to the appearance and the accessory and how everything connects to the look, the action and the message I convey, then you already understand that it matches your perception of the environment and yourself."

"At the beginning, my friends knew that on my birthday or another celebration, they would get together and buy me a bag or bring me a gift certificate, something I could indulge in at Daniela's. For me, this is the perfect gift."

24-hour bags, for all events and situations.

What I love about the brand is its versatility. The variety is great, I have bags that I use for work, I have bags for travel, evening bags and day bags. Big bags, small bags. The variety of functions that the brand allows me is for 24 hours.

At the age of 60 and with no prior experience, Michal's late modeling career begins.

"A pretty funny story, the story begins with Sharon, who was running the store in Givatayim at the time. I just fell in love."
This woman. It's just unbelievable, this is a woman who is completely dedicated to service, to giving, and to satisfying
The desire of the customers. She gives the feeling that whatever you need, I'm here for you, we'll really become friends.

At some point, Sharon moved to manage the store in Ramat Aviv, and even though I live in Givatayim, when I want to purchase a new bag, I travel to Ramat Aviv to receive advice and help from Sharon.

So let's go back to the story, one day I came to the store, and Uri, Daniela's son, was there, and we sat on the couch, chatting and joking, and then when I left, in retrospect I understood from Sharon that the next time they were taking pictures, Uri wanted me to take pictures. What is called "starting with me." And that's it, from there the rest is history, I'm taking pictures for the second time and looking forward to the next times. I didn't think that at the age of 60 I would start a new mini-career in the field of fashion as well. Life is full of surprises."

Elegant and everyday

"My outfit for the upcoming winter is elegant pants, probably tailored, a casual T-shirt and a jacket that does the job, and of course the bag is an integral part of the outfit. I really like the bag on the side, it feels like another piece of jewelry, it completes the 360 degrees of the outfit for me."

The conversation with Michal was attractive and intriguing, I couldn't help but ask a few more questions. I found out about the marathon she ran, and her love of music.

"The perfect vacation for me is a quiet place where there will necessarily be the opportunity to do a lot of sports. It's a great love of mine in life, I run and go to the gym, do Pilates, there's not a day that I don't do some kind of workout. The truth is that a few years ago I also did a marathon, it was tough, but one of the most enjoyable things."
"I've done in my life. I started playing tennis not long ago. Come on, I need a tennis bag."

"Three things I would take to a deserted island: sneakers, a book, and music."

"The last book I read grabbed me in an unusual way. I went on vacation and just devoured it there. The book is called "The Daughter from Paris" by Christina Harmel. The book tells the story of three Jewish women and their journey during World War II, their dealings with their own struggle for survival and saving their children."

Grandma's message to life

"Do what is best for you."